


The Safe Option

by MelindaCoulson4



Category: Lost in Space (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Heartache, Long-Distance Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24362053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelindaCoulson4/pseuds/MelindaCoulson4
Summary: One year, 10 months after Christmas star impact. A tense phone call between John and Maureen.
Relationships: John Robinson/Maureen Robinson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	The Safe Option

The solid metal of his wedding ring was the only thing keeping him grounded. He'd pulled it out of his pocket as he watched the newsreels playing on a loop. There'd been multiple reports of a security event at the facility where Maureen worked. With each report the muscles in his chest grew tighter and tighter.

_Three employees critical after reports of active security threat at Glendale research facility_

_Californian-based aerospace facility lock-down early this afternoon_

_Terror inside Alpha Centauri research lab_

The phone rang four agonizing times before she answered.

"Hello?"

He could finally breathe with the sound of her voice. His eyes closed in relief.

"Thank God. Are you alright?" He asked. 

"I'm fine," she sighed, as if what happened wasn't a big deal. Like she'd simply been caught in a rainstorm.

"Your site had a security breach," he argued. The news had been uninformative as ever, so he was itching for every detail. He didn't know if it was some radicalized trespasser, some disgruntled employee, or some random person off the street.

"It was just a protester," she dismissed, minimizing as she always did.

He paused for a moment to reign himself in. "Who was hurt?"

"Three security guards were barely wounded. Nothing life-threatening. The guy never even made it past the lobby."

"This time," he warned. Relations between the public and anyone involved with the Alpha Centauri program were tensing with each passing day.

The grip he had on his wedding ring tightened. Somehow he felt closer to her that way.

"It was hours ago, John," she said, swinging blame over to him.

The accusation was clear. The incident had happened seven hours ago and he hadn't called until now. His unit had been radio silent. There was nothing he could do about that. But it was just another failure of his to add to her collection. Any apology would be brushed off quickly. They were past those sorts of things now.

He wanted her to stop this. To find some other project. Anything else. Right now her job was too dangerous. A target was on her back every time she went to work. Now was his opportunity to finally broach the subject.

"It's time to think of a safer option," he said.

"Safer option?" She laughed incredulously. "Jesus John, do you even hear yourself?"

There were hostages taken in exchange for guaranteed spots to Alpha Centauri. Politicians were attacked in the streets for their stances on space travel. Everyday these things went on. The world had fallen into chaos and his wife worked at one of the most targeted facilities in the world. "Maureen, people are dying just for being associated with what you're doing."

She scoffed. "That's a bit hypocritical wouldn't you say?"

He struggled to keep himself in check. This conversation wouldn't do any good if she decided to hang up on him. "There's a difference between being a soldier and being a civilian. You shouldn't have to navigate your way through a war zone just to get to work," he told her. The reason for everything he did was to protect his family. Knowing that they were safe was his only consolation. What good was anything he did if she got hurt at home?

"I have to do it. I can't just abandon everyone because you don't think it's safe." She emphasized her words like he was the one exaggerating this.

With a burst of energy, he stood up. "It isn't safe. People have died," he snapped, then clenched his jaw. He had to get a hold of himself, but it was difficult knowing that his wife was risking it all for some dream that hadn't even become a reality. Successfully sending a man to Pluto had been a award-worthy accomplishment. Space travel to a completely different star system was another thing entirely. It would take years. Maybe even decades to come up with an actionable plan. Something like that wouldn't be attainable even in their children's lifespans. That's what she'd told him before, so he didn't understand the risks she was willing to take now.

"People are dying everywhere. Which makes my job even more important," she said.

Maureen had always been dangerous. She was always toeing boundary lines, pushing for that extra mile. When they were younger, it was exhilarating. It brought a shotgun wedding with a spontaneous honeymoon in Tuscany where no one knew where they were for days after getting lost in the wilderness. Even as recently as five years ago they'd taken a family vacation to the lunar base on a whim because he'd lost some ridiculous bet to her. She was always dreaming of things that were out of grasp and pushing past limits to achieve the impossible. But now she was filled with a reckless determination that he couldn't follow. He felt like she was constantly running head first into burning buildings without any plans. Something was bound to go wrong.

"What happens when luck runs out?" He asked her quietly. Fear gave a fierce tug at his heart.

"I've been working towards this my entire life. If you think I'm going to tuck in my tail and hide because some people are threatened by it, then you really have been away for too long." She was almost yelling at him. There would be no way to get through to her now, he realized. Her blinders had been put on. When there was a science problem to solve there was no interfering with her commitment to it. Especially by him, her estranged husband who was currently thousands of miles away.

The silence stretched on. He didn't have a chance. Anything he said would just be wasted breath. It had been so long since they'd even talked. Months since he'd heard the sound of her voice. Anytime he'd gotten the chance to contact the kids she'd been conveniently busy. Now, he felt the floodgates of something opening up inside him. The familiarity of her. He could picture her face: mouth spread in a thin line with silent anger, her hair just above her shoulders. He paused, wondering if she'd changed it. She liked doing that. Swapping hairstyles. The one and only thing she ever did to pamper herself. It was like revealing a mystery every time he came home. To see what she'd look like. It had been so long since the last time he'd experienced that. He'd taken steps to actively not think of her. It was easier that way.

There was only one thing he could come up with to say to her. A last resort to break through her defenses. It was wrong, maybe even cruel, but necessary. "Our kids need at least one parent to come out of all this," he finally said.

There was a startled inhale on the other side of the phone. "That's not fair." Her voice quivered.

And then a muffled cry came. In an instant he regretted saying it at all. The words had clearly wounded her just as he intended them to.

"Maureen, I'm ju-"

"Goodbye, John," she whispered quickly.

The line clicked.

The thought of calling her back crossed his mind, but he knew she'd only ignore it. He threw the phone down at the floor. It clattered, but didn't break.

Every muscle in his back pulled tautly. At the opposite end of his room stood his dresser. He walked to it, opened the top drawer and tossed his ring in it. His hands scrubbed at his face.

He and Maureen were two strangers to each other. And when they weren't, all they did was argue. He'd give anything to be able to see her right now and try to make everything between them better. It was much too late for that. He was kidding himself.

It was too late for anything to be salvaged between them ever again. 

//end//


End file.
